Tool for making electrical connections



June 22, 1965 E. FLOYD, JR

TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 9, 1963 June 22, 965

E. FLOYD, JR 3,189,983

TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Jan. 9, 1963 5 Sheets. eet 2 I r36 75w June 22, 1965 E. FLOYD, JR 3,189,983

TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed Jan. 9, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 June 22, 1965 E. FLOYD, JR 3,189,983

TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS Filed-Jan. 9, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 hos li-n2 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 E. FLOYD, JR

TOOL FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CONNECTIONS June 22,1965

Filed Jan. 9, 1963 United States Patent 0 Filed Jan. 9, 1963, Sea. No. 2543,30tl 4 Claims. (will. 29- 203) This invention relates to tools for making electrical connections between a terminal post and an open-sided clip as disclosed in the co-pending application of Robert F. Cobaugh, Serial No. 171,074, filed February 5, 1962 and in application Serial No. 392,856, filed August 28, 1964-. The present invention relates to a specific apparatus for practicing the invention of the above-identified Cobaugh applications and is specifically directed to an arrangement for a tool in which a single piston-cylinder is utilized to bring about sever-a1 mechanical functions.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for making electrical connections in accordance with the above-identified Cohaugh invention. A further object is to provide a hand-held tool for making electrical connections between a terminal post and a wire by means of an open-sided clip. A further object is to provide a tool having clip feeding means in conjunction with the clip applying means. A further object is to provide a tool having clip applying means and clip feeding means actuated by a single reciproca'ble plunger.

These and other objects of the invention are achieved in a pistol type hand tool having a pneumatically actuated reciprocable plunger which is adapted to move during a forward stroke over a terminal anvil and towards a terminal post thereby to push a previously positioned connector clip past a wire disposed on the path of movement of the anvil and onto the post. Connector clips in strip form are fed along a path extending substantially parallel to the path of reciprocation of the plunger by means of a feed finger which is also actuated during each forward stroke of the plunger to push the terminal strip forwardly a distance equal to the length of a single connector clip. A transfer slide is movable from a first station in which its end is disposed on the path of movement of the plunger to a clip loading station in which its end is dispose at the end of the path of movement of the strip. The preferred embodiment provides a cam mechanism for moving this transfer slide from its first position to its clip loading position during forward movement of the plunger and after the plunger has passed over the end of the transfer slide. When the end of the slide arrives at its clip loading position, the leading terminal clip of the slide is loaded onto the end of the plunger and during return movement of the plunger, the slide is moved back to its normal position during which movement it shears the leading clip from the strip and positions it in alignment with the plunger preparatory to the next operating cycle of the tool.

In the drawing:

FEGURE l is a perspective view of a preferred form of tool in accordance with the invention, one of the handle sections having been eliminated from this view in the interest of clarity.

FEGURE 2 is a side View showing the frontal pontion of the tool of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional View similar to FEGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the positions of the arts at the end of the forward stroke of the plunger. 7

FIGURES 5 and 6 are views taken along the lines 55-5 and 13-h, of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view showing a terminal clip of the type adapted to be applied to a terminal post by the instant tool.

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view showing an electrical hldd hdi Patented June 22, R9 65 connection between a terminal clip and a terminal post as formed by the tool of the instant invention.

Referring first to FIGURE 1, the disclosed embodiment of the invention comprises a hand-held pistol type tool having a double acting piston-cylinder 2. on its upper side, the cylinder of which is closed by cylinder heads 4 ti. Compressed air is admitted to the rearward end of the cylinder to drive the piston leftwardly in FIGURE 1 by means of a spool valve contained in a housing 8 beneath the cylinder. When the valve is in its normal position, air is admitted to the frontal end of the cylinder to drive the piston rearwardly. When the trigger fit is squeezed, the spool valve is shifted and air is admitted to the rearward end of the cylinder to drive the piston forwardly.

The piston rod 12 of the piston-cylinder extends through the forward cylinder head 6 and beside a frame plate 14 which is secured by means of fasteners 1b to a handle section 15 and is also secured by means of fasteners 2% to blocks 22 integral with the forward cylinder head 6 (FIGURE 5). A reciprocable plunger 2-4, which pushes the terminal clips onto the terminal posts, has an enlarged rearward end 26 fastened by means of suitable screws to an L-shaped plate 28 which is slidable on the side and the upper edge of the frame plate 114-. A crosshead screw 3%) extends through an enclosed opening in the lower end of the plate 28 and is threaded into a block 32 secured to the end of the piston rod 12. Screw 39 also extends through an elongated slot 35 in the frame plate M, to permit leftward movement of the plunger and piston rod, and through an opening in a cam block 74 described more fully below. A nut 37 threaded onto the projecting end of the screw 3t} holds the block 32, the plate 28, and the cam block together so that upon leftward movement of the plunger all of these parts will move leftwardly toward the forward end of the tool The plunger is guided during movement by means of a groove 3 on its underside into which a rib 33 extends. This rib projects from the upper side of a guide bar 36 which is secured to the frame plate l t by means of suitable fastening means 4i During its forward stroke, the plunger 24 passes over i and straddles a T-shaped projection 44 on the upper end of a trans-fer slide This transfer slide normally occupies the position shown in FIGURE 2 and a connector clip as is normally disposed on the projection 44. The clips themselves as best shown in FIGURE 6 have a generally flat web 43 and sidewalls 5th, the longitudinal edges of which are reversely curl-ed toward the web so that the clip is permitted to embrace the post and hold a wire thereagainst.

A mandrel block 52 is secured to a mounting block 49 on the lefthand end portion of the gun as viewed in Fl- URE 1. This mandrel block has a T-shaped mandrel projection 54 on its upper side and in alignment with the plunger over which the clip is adapted to pass in straddling relationship during its movement towards the terminal post 95. The wire which is to be secured to the post will have been previously located with its end extending into a transverse opening 51 in the mandrel block as described more fully below. Mounting block 451 has upstanding bosses 5d, which provide parallel guide surfaces on each side of the' transfer slide to guide it during its movement from the position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 4 at which a connector clip is loaded onto the projection 44.

The transfer slide is reciprocatecl by means of a lever 62 which is pivotally connected to the lower end of the slide at 64. Lever 62 is pivoted intermediate its ends at 66 to the frame plate 14 and is normally biased in a clockwise direction as viewed in FIGURE 1 by means of a helical spring 68 secured to the righthand end of the lever and to the frame plate. The upper side of lever 62 is contoured for engagement with the lower side of a reciprocable cam block 74 which is movable with the piston rod 12 and the plunger 2 Thus the central section of the lever has convergent downwardly directed surfaces 72, '79 while the righthand end of the lever as viewed in FIGURE 2 has an elevated surface 74 When the cam block moves leftwardly from the position of FIGURE 2 to the position of FIGURE 4, the underside of a projecting lip 73 of the block engages the surface portion 72 to move the slide downwardly to the clip loading station. The surface 70 at the righthand end of the lever is also adapted to be engaged by the underside of the cam block at the end of the return stroke whereby the lever is swung in a clockwise direction to raise the transfer slide to its normal position.

Cam block 74 bears against the underside of an elongated guide block 75 which is secured to the side of the frame plate 14 and which extends parallel to and beneath block 36. The connector clips in strip form are fed from a reel (not shown) mounted on a bracket 76 on the rearward end of the piston-cylinder along a feed path on the top surface of the guide block 75, the block 36 having a channel on its underside (see FIGURE 4) in order to confine the terminal strip during its movement toward the clip loading zone. A feed finger 82 extends upwardly through a central slot 3% at the forward end of block 75 and engages the terminal strip 78 between adjacent terminals as indicated in FIGURE 3. This feed finger is pivotally connected at 84 to a feed slide 86 slidably mounted in a recess in guide block 75 and is normally biased in a clockwise direction by means of a torsion spring. Feed slide 86 is normally biased rightwardly in FIGURE 3 by means of a spring 88 which is connected at one end to a pin 90 extending from the slide 86 through an elongated slot in block 75 and is connected at its opposite end to a fixed pin on the block 75. Leftward movement of feed slide 86 is effected by the leading face 94- of the cam block 74 which engages the rearwardly facing surface of a depending arm 92 integral with the strip feed slide 86. It will be apparent from FIGURE 3 that feeding of the terminal strip takes place toward the very end of the forward stroke of the plunger and, as will be explained below, after the transfer slide has moved laterally to position the clip holding means 44- on its end at the clip loading station.

When the plunger returns to its rearward position, the feed slide is retracted under the influence of spring 88 and the feed finger is deflected and rides over the underside of the leading connector clip of the strip. During this return movement of the feed slide and the feed finger, it is necessary to hold the strip against retrograde movement since the feed finger otherwise would not be defiected and would drag the strip rearwardly. In the disclosed embodiment, a latching finger 91 extends alongside the strip of connector clips and has an inwardly turned end portion which extends between the leading clip and the next adjacent clip. This finger thuscan be moved outwardly during forward motion of the strip but will not permit rearward movement of the strip. Spring finger 91 has an enlarged end portion 93 which is adjustably clamped to block 75 by a screw as shown.

Prior to application of the terminal clip to the terminal post 96, the post itself must be positioned on, and in alignment with, the anvil and with its end against the end of the T-shaped mandrel projection 54 on the upper side of the anvil. In order to hold the post in this position during the clip applying operation, a clamping arm 98 is provided on the upper side of the tool which is pivotally mounted at 1% between a pair of parallel ears extending from a block 1&2. Block 102 is secured by means of screws to laterally extending flanges 103 on the end of guide bar 36 and has a central opening 165 to permit passage of the plunger. A leaf spring 104 fastened to the upper side of block 1M bears against the upper side of the arm $8 and biases it downwardly as viewed in FIGURE 3 so that its end presses against the mandrel block and the terminal post. The end of this arm 93 is bifurcated to form a pair of side-by-side fingers lift? which are downwardly curved at their extreme end portions and which have their opposing sides cut away for reception of the terminal post. A generally conical guide surface 119 is formed at the root of the notch forming the fingers 108 thereby to guide the wire towards the transverse opening 51 in the anvil in which it is positioned preparatory to each clip applying operation.

It is advantageous to provide a means for holding the end portion of the wire in the transverse opening 51 and for lightly clamping it in this opening thereby to free the operators hands for other operations during use. A convenient form of clamp for this purpose is shown in FIGURE 6 to comprise a clamping plunger 112 which extends transversely through the opening 51 and which has a flanged end 12% to serve as a finger piece. Clamping plunger 112 is slidably contained in a slot in a mounting block 118 retained in place by a cover 119. Block 113 is secured to the lefthand side of the frame plate as viewed in FIGURE 5, and a spring 116 is interposed between the surface of the frame plate and the opposed side of the flange I20 thereby to bias the plunger leftwardly as viewed in this figure. It will thus be apparent that if the plunger is pushed rightwardly at FIG- URE 6, the wire can be inserted into the transverse opening 51 so that subsequent release of finger pressure on the flange 124? will result in the wire being lightly clamped between the lefthand one of the fingers 1698 and end wall 122 of the plunger.

In use, the operator first depresses the plunger M2 by pressing on the flange 120 and inserts the end of the wire along the guide surface 112 until it extends into the transverse opening 51 in the mandrel block. Thereafter the operator releases finger pressure on the flange 1 49 and the wire will be lightly clamped in position with its axis extending transversely of the axis of the previously fed connector clip on the T-shaped mandrel projection 44 of the transfer slide. The operator next aligns the tool with the terminal post 96 and pushes it over the post until the clamping arm 98 is biased in a clockwise direction to hold the end of the arm against the shoulder at the end of projection 54 of the mandrel block. The trigger it) is next depressed to shift the valve spool in housing 8 and admit air to the rearward side of the piston in the cylinder 2 and drive the plunger leftwardly towards the end of the tool. During such leftward movement, the previously fed and positioned connector clip is pushed from the end of the transfer slide past the opening 51, over the T-shaped mandrel projection 54 on the upper side of the slide and onto the terminal post 96 so that at the end of the leftward stroke of the plunger, as viewed in FIGURE 3, the terminal clip will be in embracing relationship to the terminal post and will hold the wire against the surface of the post. As explained fully in the above-identified Cobaugh application, where insulated wires are being used, stripping of the insulation from the end portion of the wire will take place during this stroke of the plunger. Toward the end of the forward stroke of the plunger, the underside 73 of the cam block 74 will engage the lefthand end of the lever 62 at 72 thereby to swing the lever in a counterclockwise direction and move the upper end of the transfer slide from its normal position to its clip loading position at which the T-shaped mandrel projection on the upper end of this slide is in alignment with the strip terminal clips. At the very end of the forward stroke of the plunger, the face 94 of the cam block engages the depending arm 92 of the feed slide 86 and feeds the next adjacent clip of the strip onto the clip holding projection 44 of the transfer slide.

The operator then releases finger pressure on the trigger it) shifting the valve spool in the housing 3 and thereby supplies air to the forward end of the piston to drive the piston rearwardly in the cylinder 2. During this stroke, the plunger 24 is retracted and toward the end of the stroke, the underside of cam block 74 engages the upper surface 70 at the righthand of lever 62 and raises the transfer slide 42 to its normal position. During raising of the transfer slide, the leading clip is sheared from the next adjacent clip in the strip by means of a shear block 124 which is integral with plate 51 and which provides a shearing edge adjacent to the end of the transfer slide, see FIGURE 3.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for electrically connecting a conductor to a terminal post by means of a terminal clip, said clip being axially movable onto said post and having an open seam extending axially along one side thereof, said apparatus comprising, a mandrel conforming to the internal cross-section of said clip, a clip pusher reciprocable along a path extending over said mandrel and beyond one end of said mandrel, a transfer slide having means on its end for holding a connector clip, said transfer slider being normally disposed on said path and between said mandrel and said clip pusher when said clip pusher is in its retracted position, said transfer slide being movable to a clip loading station beside said path, means movable with, and actuated by, said clip pusher for moving said transfer slide from its normal position to said clip loading station during forward movement of said clip pusher and after said clip pusher has moved past said one end of said transfer slide, means for loading a clip onto said one end of said transfer slide at said clip loading station, and means for returning said transfer slide to said normal position after retraction of said clip pusher.

2. In an apparatus for electrically connecting a conductor to a terminal post by means of a terminal clip, said clip being axially movable onto said post and having an open seam extending axially along one side thereof, said apparatus comprising, a mandrel conforming to the internal cross-section of said clip, a clip pusher reciprocable along a path extending over said mandrel and beyond one end of said mandrel, a piston-cylinder for reciprocating said clip pusher, a transfer slide having means on its end for holding a connector clip, said transfer slide being normally disposed on said path and between said mandrel and said clip pusher when said clip pusher is in its retracted position, said transfer slide being movable to a clip loading station beside said path, means movable with, and actuated by, said piston-cylinder for moving said transfer slide from its normal position to said clip loading station during forward movement of said clip pusher and after said clip pusher has moved past said one end of said transfer slide, means for loading a clip onto said one end of said transfer slide at said clip loading station, and means for returning said transfer slide to said normal position after retraction of said clip pusher.

3. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said means for loading a clip onto said one end of said transfer slide comprises clip feeding means for feeding a strip of sad clips along a path extending parallel to said path of reciprocation of said clip pusher, and means movable with, and actuated by, said piston-cylinder for actuating said feeding means after movement of said transfer slide to said clip loading station.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 3 wherein said means for actuating said clip feeding means and said means for moving said transfer slide comprises a camming block.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,397,872 4/46 Kovacs 78--46 2,641,051 6/53 Vick 29212 2,789,794 2/57 Cresson 339-276 WHITMORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner. THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICALLY CONNECTING A CONDUCTOR TO A TERMINAL POST BY MEANS OF A TERMINAL CLIP, SAID CLIP BEING AXIALLY MOVABLE ONTO SAID POST AND HAVING AN OPEN SEAM EXTENDING AXIALLY ALONG ONE SIDE THEREOF, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING, A MANDREL CONFORMING TO THE INTERNAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID CLIP, A CLIP PUSHER RECIPROCABLE ALONG A PATH EXTENDING OVER SAID MANDREL AND BEYOND ONE END OF SAID MANDREL, A TRANSFER SLIDE HAVING MEANS ON ITS END FOR HOLDING A CONNECTOR CLIP, SAID TRANSFER SLIDER BEING NORMALLY DISPOSED ON SAID PATH AND BETWEEN SAID MANDREL AND SAID CLIP PUSHER WHEN SAID CLIP PUSHER IS IN ITS RETRACTED POSITION, SAID TRANSFER SLIDE BEING MOVABLE TO A CLIP LOADING STATION BESIDE SAID PATH, MEANS MOVABLE WITH, AND ACTUATED BY, SAID CLIP PUSHER FOR MOVING SAID TRANSFER SLIDE FROM ITS NORMAL POSITION TO SAID CLIP LOADING STATION DURING FORWARD MOVEMENT OF SAID CLIP PUSHER AND AFTER SAID CLIP PUSHER HAS MOVED PAST SAID ONE END OF SAID TRANSFER SLIDE, MEANS FOR LOADING A CLIP ONTO SAID ONE END OF SAID TRANSFER SLIDE AT SAID 